PhD Core Course 1: Positioning and designing your research

Course description

During CC1 PhD candidates who have just started their project are introduced to the broad field of professional cultural history. In six sessions, they meet their peers and various inspiring experts to build their national network and reflect on the methods, theories and practices in the field, on interdisciplinarity, and the relevance of their own work. They learn to better position their project in a highly interdisciplinary environment, and to access experts and expertise that might be relevant to their project’s success. All in all, the course aims to help them fulfil the transition from being a student to a professional historian. The course is concluded by a position paper of 2-3000 words that builds towards their end-of-year go/no-go chapter. At the end of the course, students have joined or committed to organise a working group of Huizinga members, which functions as a sounding board throughout the remainder of their PhD. This course is open to beginning PhD candidates only.

Course objectives

At the end of this course, students feel equipped to deal with the practical challenges of being a professional cultural historian. In addition they

• can position their project amongst the various constituent parts of cultural history
• have a clear sense of the available expertise in the field and the possibilities for interdisciplinary cross-fertilization
• can explain their project and its relevance to various audiences both within the broader cultural historical community and in society at large
• enhance their methodological and theoretical knowledge

New PhDs are automatically registered for this course.

Indicative programme:

• 1. Wednesday 5 March 2025, 11:00-18:00. Location: Kanunnikenzaal. Academiegebouw Utrecht

  Introduction (Harald Hendrix)

  2. Wednesday 12 March 2025, 13:00-16:00, followed by drinks. Location: Kanunnikenzaal. Academiegebouw Utrecht

  Working in Cultural History (Anna Thomas Tijsseling)

  3. Wednesday 19 March 2025, 10:00-13:00. Location: Kanunnikenzaal. Academiegebouw Utrecht

  Positioning Your Research (Jan Hein Furnée), followed by a group lunch.

  4. Wednesday 26 March 2025, 10:00-13:00. Location: Daltonlaan 500, zaal 1.09, Universiteit Utrecht

  Getting the Question Right, and Answering It (Erika Kuijpers and Judith Pollmann)

  5. Wednesday 2 April 2025, 10:00-13:00. Location: Kanunnikenzaal, Academiegebouw Utrecht

  Interdisciplinarity as a Challenge (Inger Leemans)

  6. Wednesday 30 April 2025, 11:00-18:00. Location: Kanunnikenzaal. Academiegebouw Utrecht

  Final session (Harald Hendrix) devoted to discussing the papers and closing discussion.